R1:

Comprehension Strategies

Professional:

I can monitor my own comprehension in reading by using reading strategies such as:

Summarizing and paraphrasing
Connecting to prior knowledge
Making inferences, drawing conclusions, and predicting
Questioning the author and self-correcting
Recognizing fact from opinion
Identifying unknown vocabulary using
- roots and affixes
- origins
- parts of speech
- synonyms and antonyms
- context clues

Master:

I can improve my reading level through repeated practice, appropriately using reading strategies, and making connections between a variety of texts.

Quick Links (link here)

For this target, with ALL texts you will need to:

Consider how you comprehend text and the various levels
Use these strategies for comprehending text
Explain and support your comprehension using these sentence starters
Identify between fact and opinion
Use vocabulary strategies to help comprehend text
- - - context clues, breaking the word into roots and affixes, modifying the word, using synonyms and antonyms, considering the connotation, and looking at the word origin

Levels of Comprehension?

Right There in the Text

This level of comprehension is understanding exactly what the author is saying.

Text + Text

This level of comprehension takes multiple sections of text together to make a new conclusion.

Text + You

This level of comprehension connects the text and outside reader knowledge to make a conclusion.

You

This is more than just comprehension. Here, the reader is analyzing the text through their own ideas and evaluations.

What are your Strategies?

Making inferences involves making educated guesses (like making a hypothesis in science)
- - - Supported inferences: are based directly on evidence from a passage.
    - Unsupported inferences: are conclusions that are not logical—this happens when we ignore facts from a passage, OR we misunderstand/misinterpret them.
Drawing a conclusions depends upon your ability to make inferences.
- - - Conclusions are made ONLY when you have pieced together the small guesses that you made along the way (inferences).
Generalizations are when you take a little bit of information, or information on a specific topic, and you make it apply on a broader spectrum.

Making predictions, just like inferencing, involves looking for clues that the writer gives.
Prior Knowledge is when you connect the knowledge in your head to the text to help give it meaning.

Strategic readers connect what they know to what they are reading. Always explain WHY you made the connection (because…).

Let's Practice!!

“Maria has studied all week for her algebra test. She spent three hours every night working on the review exercises in her textbook. Last night, she could not sleep very well because she was afraid she would sleep through her alarm.”

Example Inference/Conclusions:

Maria is a good student (because she studied all week).
Maria will most likely be tired tomorrow (because she didn’t sleep).

Example Generalization:

Working/Studying a little bit every night is a better way to study than all at once the night before (because that is what Maria did, and she is most likely a good student).

Example Prediction:

Maria will most likely pass her test (because she studied so hard).
Maria will fall asleep during her test (because she stayed up the night before).
Maria will have an anxiety attack before the test (since she is so nervous).

These inferences and conclusions are good because they have specific evidence in the text that supports them. The reader still uses their own context and prior knowledge to support their conclusions, but they always bring it back to the text.

You can have bad inferences and conclusions as well. These are guesses made by the reader that go too far or do not have textual evidence. Some examples are:

BAD Inferences:

Maria has not been doing well all year.
Maria does not sleep well normally.

Comprehension Sentence Starters

*When reading any text, you must interact with the text in order to understand its full meaning.*

Main Idea and Summarizing

Skilled readers find the most important ideas and summarize the text in their own words to make sure they understand.

This text is mainly about __.
The most important/main conflict in their story is __.
The author’s most important ideas are…
I can tell that the author believes that __ because…
This text would be considered fact/opinion because…
This text is most important for __ to read because…
Someone would probably use the information in this text to…
The details I need to include are…
Some important concepts are…
The most important evidence was…
The basic gist is…
So, the big idea is…
The key information is…
In a nutshell this says that…

Using Background Knowledge

Skilled readers use what they know about the world to make connections with the text. They connect something from the reading to something else they’ve read/viewed (text-to-text), to a past/current event (text-to-world), or to a personal experience (text-to-self).

This reminds me of…
I connected to this when…
This made me remember a time when…
This relates to my life because…
This makes me think about…
This part makes me remember…
I really had a strong connection to this part because…
This is familiar to me because…
This is similar to…
I already know __ about this topic because…

Monitoring, Clarifying, and Self-Correcting

Skilled readers pay attention to and correct any misunderstandings by continuing to connect new inferences/conclusions with previous ones they’ve made as they read.

At first I thought __ because __, but then I thought __ because…
My latest thought about this is…
I’m getting a different picture here because…
What this means to me is…
My prediction about __ was wrong because…
My inference about __ was wrong because…
Now I understand that __ because…
I was surprised when __ happened because I thought that __ would happen instead.
I had to slow down my reading at this part because…
I had to re-read this part because…
I was confused by…
I got lost at this part because…
I didn’t understand __, but after I [reread/researched/defined words I didn’t know/summarized in my own words], I now understand that…
I am unsure what the author means by…
I still do not understand…
From this text, I have learned…
After reading this text, I still have questions about…
After reading this part/text, I plan to research __ because…

Making Inferences

Skilled readers put together their prior knowledge with clues in the text to make inferences as they read. Authors don’t always directly state ideas when they write. They often leave hints for readers so that they can discover the truth about what’s happening on their own.

From the clues in the text, I can conclude…
Based on what the text says and what I know, I think…
This information makes me think…
This evidence suggests…
That is probably why…
Although the writer does not come right out and say it, I can figure out that…
There is enough/not enough evidence in the article to conclude that…

Plot Predictions and Inferences

Skilled readers use prior knowledge and clues in the text to make predictions and inferences about events that take place in the text.

I can conclude that the protagonist is__ because…
I can conclude that the antagonist is __ because…
The setting of this story is __. I know this because…
The setting is important because…
The event I am reading about is important to the storyline because…
I predict that the current conflict will be resolved by/when…
I predict that the protagonist will/will not be successful because…
I predict that this chapter/part will end when/by __ because…
I predict that this story will end when/by __ because…

Making Predictions and Asking Questions

Skilled readers make predictions BEFORE they read by surveying the text. They consider things like, the title, headings and sub-headings, illustrations, etc. They continue to make predictions DURING their reading to keep their brains focused on what’s happening in the text.

Based on what I already know about the author/text, I think it will be about…
I’m guessing this will be about __ because”
I wonder why…
I think this will be about __ because…
I think __ is going to happen next because…
__ makes me think that __ will happen because…
Since __ has already happened, I think __ will happen next.
I would like to ask the author…
I hope __ happens because…
I wonder what would/will happen if/when…

Visualizing

Skilled readers actively picture what is happening as they read. They use the details and description the author gives to imagine a “movie” in their minds.

I could really picture __ because the author writes “__”.
The author’s description of __ helps me visualize…
I’ve created a mental image of __, and it looks like __ because…
In my mind, I could really see…
When the author said, “__”, I could imagine…
If this were a movie or TV show, __ would look like…
I imagine this character looks like __ because…
I imagine the setting looks like __ because…
If this story were told from another character’s perspective, the storyline would change by…
If the setting/time period changed, it would impact the story by/through…

Character Inferences

Skilled readers learn about characters in 5 different ways: 1) Direct description 2) Words & actions 3) Thoughts & feelings 4) What other characters say and 5) How characters interact.

I can tell that this character is __ because the author states, “__”.
The character said, “__”, so I know that he/she is __.
This character is doing __, so that helps me understand that he/she is _.
This character is thinking about __, so that helps me understand that he/she is __.
This character must be feeling __ because…
I can tell that the other characters think this character is __ because…
I would describe this character as __, __, and __ because…
The character has changed from __ to __ throughout the story because…
I think this character behaves/speaks this way because…
The archetype(s) that best fit this character is/are __ because…
I can infer that this character’s goals/beliefs/values are _ and _ b/c…
The most important relationship for this character is one he/she has with __ b/c…
I think the author created this character in order to…
From this character’s actions throughout the story, I can learn __ because…

Evaluating and Commenting

Skilled readers stop to consider what they’ve read along the way and make judgments about what the author is saying or what characters in a story are doing.

This is really interesting because…
I like/dislike the part where __ because…
My favorite part so far is __ because…
This part is very realistic/unrealistic because…
I think the relationship between __ and __ is interesting/important because…
The character I most admire is __ because…
The character I most dislike is __ because…
I would do__ differently than this character did because…
Overall, I like/dislike this text because…
__ is a possible solution for this situation because…
I agree/disagree with the idea that __ because…
The title of this book/text makes sense because…
An alternate title for this book/text would be __ because…
The images/cover art of this book/text are accurate/inaccurate because…
I would change the resolution of this story by __ because…
The author could have been clearer in communicating the main idea by…
The author should add __ to this text/story in order to…
I like/dislike the way this text is organized because…
I think this text shows bias toward __ because…

Fact vs. Opinion

Facts are true. They often include numbers and statistics, but they can just be a statement.

EXAMPLE: Gainesville High School is the 13th school in Prince William County.

Its student population is around 1,300.

Opinions are not true, but rather based on the preferences and beliefs of the person saying them. Sometimes opinions can be disguised as facts, so it is important to look carefully.

EXAMPLE: Gainesville High School is the best school in Prince William County.

All 1,300 of its students love it.

**Be careful with language like "best" and "all" that could be biased or generalizing.

Vocabulary

Words can be so complex as they are constantly created, forgotten, changed, and adapted. No one expects you to know every word in the English language. Daily, you will hear and see numerous words that are new. However, we know that vocabulary is a strong indicator for success since it is the basis for understanding. Consider that, “in grades 3 through 12, an average student is likely to learn approximately 3,000 new vocabulary words each year, if he or she reads between 500,000 and a million running words of text a school year” (Nagy & Anderson). Once you understand that all words have stories behind their creation and follow predictable patterns, it can become less burdensome to see a word with which you are unfamiliar.

Context Clues

In addition to the word itself, the context in which the word appears can tell you a lot about the meaning of the word as well. They are hints that show up around the word that help give it meaning such as: synonyms, antonyms, definitions, comparisons, contrasts, and explantations. Look at the examples below.

Synonym: The young girl was ecstatic and overjoyed to see her mom.
Antonym: However, the mom longed for the days when she matured and was no longer the whining, thoughtless, emotional child she was now.
Definition: The mom had been supervising her, watching and keeping her safe, all summer.
Comparison: On the other hand, her daughter frolicked around like a bull in a china shop destroying everything.
Contrast: The mom was overwhelmed, not like her daughter who had a huge smile on her face.
Explanation: But the mom tried to smile knowing that one day she would reminisce when she looked back on these days and missed them.
Example: The daughter continued to gambol, as seen by her bouncing jumps on top of her brand new couch.

Break the Word Down (Prefixes, Roots, and Suffixes)

Some common roots and affixes can be found here.

Most words are founded with a root that has a predetermined meaning. When adding prefixes and suffixes, you can alter the original meaning. For example: in - ject. When you see how the word is broken down, it makes sense.

Adding prefixes and suffixes change the meaning in predictable ways too. Adding “tion” to the end of the word makes it a noun. Adding an additional prefix “-re” means that it is happening again.

Usually, thinking about other words you know will help you determine a close meaning. Remember though, some roots have two meanings. For example, “in-“ can also mean “not,” as in, “incorrect.”

Look at the examples below. Think about other words that you know that have the same roots, prefixes and suffixes. Do you see a pattern?

Re- (prefix = "again")

Re – produce

Re – fund

Re – wind

Re – call

Re – form

In- (prefix = "in to")

In – side

In – filtrate

In – flame

In – come

In – grown

Ject (root = "throw")

E – ject

Inter – ject

Re – ject

Ob – ject - ive

Pro – ject - ion

-ion (suffix = noun)

Celebrat – ion

Graduat – ion

Revelat – ion

Solut – ion

Affect – ion

Word Modification

Most words can be used as more than one part of speech. In most cases, this just means that you need to change or add a suffix to the word. You can always look at the modifications in the dictionary entry, but these are some general suffixes that are added to modify the words. Just make sure you use the right one.

Suffixes: Suffixes are at the end of the word. They do add meaning, but really what they do is change the part of speech. Look at some common ones below. Some suffixes can also be in two places.

Noun

-ion -ile

-ist -ness

-ity/ -ty -ship

-ment -ry

Verb

-ate

-en

-ify

-ise/ -ize

Adjective

-ful -ic

-ible/ -able -ish

-ese -ive

-en -ous

Adverb

-ly

-ward

-wise

Synonyms and Antonyms

There are so many words in the English language. There is bound to be some overlap. Synonyms are words that have a similar meaning while antonyms are words that have opposite meanings. Many times, these can be very helpful in determining the meaning of a word.

Synonyms for the word "FIGHT"

Altercation, Conflict, Dispute, Brawl, Riot, Argument, Clash, War, Scuffle, Battle, Duel, Confrontation, Combat, Quarrel, Struggle, Disagreement

Antonyms for the word "FIGHT"

Agreement, Quiet, Calm, Truce, Peace, Harmony

ConnotatioN

However, you may notice that these words have slight meanings. If you tried to use war to describe an argument over how to cook rice best, that would be inappropriate. Connotation is the way that the word is actually used in society. It is the most important part of truly knowing a word. It may help you to rank the original word with synonyms and antonyms in some particular order or by a particular tone. For example:

I want to rank some of the words in order from Least to Most "VIOLENT":

Peace, Truce, Disagreement, Dispute, Scuffle, Fight, War

Or, I could rank some of the words in order from Least to Most "POLITE":

War, Fight, Scuffle, Dispute, Disagreement, Truce, Peace

Because I am trying to organize the words in different ways, I am forced to compare the meanings of the words and how they are used in context. Think about this when learning a new word: How does it compare to its synonyms?

Etymology (Word Origin)

If you do not know the root of the word, you might be able to get some insight from the word’s etymology. Knowing where the word came from, its original meaning, or its original context can be helpful in helping you make associations in determining a word's meaning and increasing your vocabulary.

Etymology can also show how words can change over time.

“Awful” and “Awesome” both have the same etymology derived from “awe,” which came from “ege” in old English meaning “terror, dread.” However, awesome became a good thing over a change in connotation.

Another example is “nice.” Deriving from Latin’s “nescius” which means “ignorant,” it used to be an insult meaning someone was foolish. However, it slowly changed to be applied to people who are shy or quiet. As society began to revere or like these qualities, the word’s connotation changed to the positive one we use today.

Many words are similar across different languages because of their etymology.

These are called “congnates” because they sound alike. Look at the word “conclusion” which comes from the Latin word “concludere.”

Below are how the word appears in different languages:

English: conclusion

Spanish: conclusión

French: conclusion

Dutch: conclusie

Danish: konclusion

Filipino: konklusyon

Portuguese: conclusão

You can see that they are very similar, so if you knew the meaning in one language, you would likely be able to make a good guess if you heard it in one of the others. While not all words are cognates in all languages, this can be a good place to start.

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